Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 37 federal charges concerning alleged mishandling of classified documents and obstruction of justice.
The case will now go to trial and was assigned to U.S District Judge Aileen Cannon – a Trump nominee – who will determine the start date and where it will occur.
Both Trump and Walt Nauta, an aid of the former president who also faces charges, were arrested, fingerprinted and processed in the Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday afternoon.
The GOP presidential hopeful appeared before the U.S. Judge Magistrate Johnathan Goodman and was represented by Attorneys Todd Blanche and Chris Kine. Another member of his legal team, Alina Habba, was outside during court proceedings, condemning the federal arraignment.
Goodman requested that the prosecutors elect witnesses that will provide testimony while trial is underway, the judge magistrate then told Trump he would not be allowed to have any communication with Nauta or these witnesses – except through counsel.
Jack Smith, the lead investigator of the classified documents probe, attended Tuesday’s court proceedings. His appearance in court comes after Trump criticized his role in the investigation and called Smith “deranged.”
Alongside Smith, Jay Bratt, David Harbach and Julie Edelstein, all prosecutors representing the Justice Department were in attendance.
Tuesday marked the second time that the former president faced a judge on criminal charges. However, the Manhattan court case had less at stake for Trump. The charges he now faces involve higher breaches of the law, such as the Espionage Act, and the claim that the former president’s actions threatened national security. If found guilty, Trump could be imprisoned for many years.
There are also pending investigations into Trump’s conduct in Georgia over alleged election-tampering and one related to his possible participation in the January 6 insurrection.
Trump called on his supporters to flock to the courthouse to show support – and that they did, turning up outside in droves, waving flags and chanting praise for the former president.
Law enforcement officials were on the ground and surrounded the groups of protestors whos assembled for Trump’s court appearance. Similar solidarity was seen once Trump left Florida and returned to New Jersey, where he addressed the public at his Bedminster gulf club resort.
Trump referred to the federal charges against him as “fake and fabricated,” saying that numerous presidents had taken similar actions – yet none had probes launched against them.
Trump labeled the investigator’s actions “election interference” initiated by the “corrupt president” Joe Biden in yet another attempt to steal the presidency.
The former president called the claims brought against him nothing more than “political persecution” by Biden and his band of “closest thugs, misfits and Marxists” who were trying to destroy American democracy.
“It’s all been a battle of disinformation, one thing after the other, and all to protect the radical left,” he said.
Trump claimed that he had the “absolute right” and “unconstrained power” to not only make decisions but to have the documents he had with him at Mar-a-Lago at the time.
He also said the widely circulated photos of the documents in boxes stacked and concealed in storage areas, a bathroom, ballroom and shower, were staged. He claimed the contents of the boxes pictured were mainly his personal belongings and memorabilia and that he had not had the time to go through them.
Trump reassured his supporters that this threat to democracy and his political candidacy would not be one without a fight, as he closed out the press conference on Tuesday evening.
“On November 5, 2024, justice will be done, we will take back our country and we will make America great again,” he said.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
